Trembling Aspen
Populus tremuloides
KeystoneHosts 13 caterpillarsBird foodPollinator plant

(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman
Growing it
| When | Flowers in April |
|---|---|
| Type | tree |
| Sun | Full sun, partial shade |
| Water | Low, medium |
| Soil | pH 5–7.5 |
| Hardiness | zone 1–7 |
| Mature height | 20 m |
| Mature spread | 7.5 m |
| Spacing | 5 m |
| Years to maturity | 15 |
| Bloom | Apr |
| In bloom | April |
| Native to | AB, SK |
round leaves about 6 cm long; a single straight leader
Where it has been recorded
Which ecoregions the records fall in
- Aspen Parkland central AB / SK: 1500 records, high confidence
- Moist Mixed Grassland south AB / SK: 326 records, high confidence
- Northern Continental Divide south AB: 305 records, high confidence
- Boreal Transition central AB / SK: 218 records, high confidence
- Eastern Continental Ranges central AB: 190 records, high confidence
- Western Alberta Upland central AB: 178 records, high confidence
- Fescue Grassland south AB: 174 records, high confidence
- Mid-Boreal Uplands central AB / SK: 117 records, high confidence
- Cypress Upland south AB / SK: 97 records, high confidence
- Mixed Grassland south AB / SK: 78 records, high confidence
- Peace Lowland north AB: 76 records, high confidence
- Wabasca Lowland north AB: 40 records, high confidence
- Slave River Lowland north AB: 15 records, medium confidence
- Hay River Lowland north AB: 9 records, medium confidence
- Churchill River Upland north SK: 6 records, low confidence
- Western Boreal central AB: 5 records, low confidence
- Mid-Boreal Lowland central SK: 4 records, low confidence
- Athabasca Plain north AB / SK: 3 records, low confidence
These are counts of records collected somewhere in the region, which is the resolution of the evidence: the map above shows where inside it. A region with 3 records is not the same claim as one with three hundred, so the count travels with the region. A region missing from this list means nobody has recorded it there, which is not the same as the plant being absent. Records within 900 m of a border count for neither side, because the border is not drawn finely enough to say which one they are on. Source: GBIF occurrence search + PRESERVED_SPECIMEN pass, retrieved 2026-08-24. Boundaries digitised from the National Ecological Framework for Canada v2.2 (Ecological Stratification Working Group 1995), simplified to about 900 m for display: an outline is accurate to roughly a kilometre, not to the metre. How these counts are made.
See every observation, live and current, on GBIF or iNaturalist.
Documented animals
32 documented relationships.
caterpillar host for
- Aspen Leaf Miner Specimen records from iNaturalist.org
- Big Poplar Sphinx Pohl et al. 2018
- Canadian Tiger Swallowtail Acorn & Sheldon 2006
- Compton Tortoiseshell Pohl et al. 2018
- Ectoedemia populella Specimen records from iNaturalist.org
- Enargia fausta Specimen records from arctos.database.museum
- Euhexomyza schineri Specimen records from iNaturalist.org
- Mourning Cloak Acorn & Sheldon 2006
- Pachypappa sacculi Specimen records from iNaturalist.org
- Phyllonorycter apparella Specimen records from scan-bugs.org
- Polyphemus Moth Pohl et al. 2018
- Poplar Vagabond Gall Aphid Specimen records from iNaturalist.org
- Red-humped Caterpillar Specimen records from mycoportal.org
- Spotted Tussock Moth Pohl et al. 2018
- Western Tiger Swallowtail Acorn & Sheldon 2006
- White Admiral Acorn & Sheldon 2006
pollen for
- Andrena salictaria Robertson 1929
- Concave Cuckoo Nomad Bee Robertson 1929
- Lasioglossum albipenne Robertson 1929
- Limnophora narona Robertson 1929
- Lyroda subita Robertson 1929
- Ponometia candefacta Robertson 1929
- Scathophaga furcata Robertson 1929
- Variegated Fritillary Robertson 1929
cover for
- Black-capped Chickadee Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Ruffed Grouse Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Silver-haired Bat Pattie & Fisher
nest site for
- Downy Woodpecker Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Great Horned Owl Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Northern Flicker Cornell Lab of Ornithology
nectar for
- Yellow-banded Bumble Bee Specimen records from iNaturalist.org
seed for
- Ruffed Grouse Poelen et al. 2014
Also worth knowing
Safety
Toxicity not assessed, absence of a warning is not a guarantee of safety
Buying it
About $45–$120 per plant (estimate), sometimes in big-box garden sections. Estimate (tree default); AB retail as of 2026